Joey Barton facing 10-game ban

JOEY BARTON is facing the threat of a 10-match ban – or even longer – after the Football Association charged him with two acts of violent conduct following his sending off in QPR’s defeat by Manchester City.

JOEY BARTON is facing the threat of a 10-match ban – or even longer – after the Football Association charged him with two acts of violent conduct following his sending off in QPR’s defeat by Manchester City.

Barton was sent off for elbowing Carlos Tevez and then kicked Sergio Aguero before attempting to headbutt Vincent Kompany.

Barton insisted via Twitter that he had not lost his head but that a team-mate “suggested I should try to take 1 of theirs with me”.

And he today denied trying to deflect attention away from his behaviour after launching an expletive-laden attack on Alan Shearer, his former manager at Newcastle and current Match of the Day pundit.

Barton said on Twitter: “No deflections here mate. Think the fact about 100m people seen it will see to that. Just don’t like how he goes personal...

“I apologise but if that’s not enough for some, so be it. Life is too short.